Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins NHL Picks & Predictions 12/14/2017

Thursday, December 14, 2017

TD Garden

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Washington Capitals travel to TD Garden to play the Boston Bruins on Thursday, December 14, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at +104 and the Bruins at -115.

Washington has a record of 19-12-1 this season and on the road they have a record of 6-7-1. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 100 goals and given up 93 goals for a point differential of +7. For the season they have an ATS record of 19-13-0 and an over/under record of 18-14-0. Boston is 14-9-4 including 9-4-2 at home this season. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 78 goals and surrendered 75 for a goal differential of +3. Their record against the spread is 14-13-0 while their over/under record is 13-14-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 19-13-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 18-14-0 against the over/under this season

Important Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins are 14-13-0 straight up this year

The Boston Bruins are 13-14-0 against the over/under this season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

12/12/17 RW T.J. Oshie Upper Body is OUT Thursday vs Boston

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

12/09/17 C Noel Acciari Upper Body is "?" Wednesday vs Detroit
12/07/17 C Ryan Spooner Lower Body IR (12/06)
11/26/17 C Peter Cehlarik Lower Body IR (11/25)
10/20/17 D Adam McQuaid Fibula IR (10/19)

Player Spotlight

Alex Ovechkin has accumulated 33 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 21 goals this year with 148 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 12 assists on the season and averages 19.1 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averages 19.5 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 5 goals on 53 shots. He has 20 assists, giving him a total of 25 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 17 wins and 7 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has 732 shots against him and he's given up 60 goals. He's made 672 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

David Pastrnak has scored 27 total points this year for the Bruins. He has 14 goals this season with 78 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 13 assists on the season and averages 18.7 minutes played per game. Brad Marchand averages 20.9 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 23% by scoring 11 goals on 47 shots. He has 12 assists, giving him a total of 23 points on the season. Tuukka Rask has 7 wins and 8 losses this year in goal for the Bruins. He has 477 shots against him and he's surrendered 42 goals. He's made 435 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have 39 total points this season, which ranks them 9th in the NHL. They are 7th in the league in goals scored with 100 while they've given up 93 goals, ranking them 14th overall. They have had 102 power play opportunities and have scored 21 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 7th in the NHL. The Capitals have allowed 114 power play opportunities and have given up 22 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%, putting them 18th in the league when short-handed. They average 29 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.71% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 17th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins are 20th in the NHL with a total of 32 points this year. They have 17 power play goals on 86 opportunities for a percentage of 20%. That ranks them 12th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 83 power play opportunities and have given up 12 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 86%. That is 3rd in the NHL. As a team, the Bruins are 29th in the league with 78 goals scored while they've given up 75 goals, which is 28th overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.25%. As a team they give up 30 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 15th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Washington is 26th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.9%, as they've attempted 1,748 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,904 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 47.3% as they have 1,293 attempts while they have given up 1,440 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 30th in the league. The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 49.3% of the time, which is 23rd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.7% for the season. That is 11th overall in the NHL. They have 1,008 face-off wins compared to 923 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 52.2%. That ranks them 8th in the league. On defense Washington has 699 hits and they have blocked 464 shots from the opposition, putting them 11th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Bruins are 6th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 54.2% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 45.8% for the season, which is 25th in the NHL. They have 869 face-off wins compared to 836 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51%. That is 10th in the league. On defense Boston has 654 hits and they have blocked 392 shots from the opposition, which is 29th in the league. Boston is 12th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.6% as they've attempted 1,560 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,523 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 51.3% ranks 9th as they have 1,192 attempts while they have given up 1,131 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Capitals/Bruins NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Boston -115

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